The Cherry blossom Tales
‘The Cherry Blossom Tales’ is an immersive creative non-fiction project that brings to life echoes of Ballaghaderreen’s past through storytelling, art, folklore, and community recollections.
Led by Dr. Anna King, in collaboration with Karen Munnelly’s TY students at St. Nathy’s College, this initiative is funded by the Roscommon County Council Creative Ireland Programme 2025.
Through a series of dynamic workshops, students will rediscover and shine a light on Anne Deane’s vital but overlooked role in the Ladies’ Land League. The workshops will culminate in an event that will not only showcase the students creative work, but also serve as a community gathering to honour Anne’s enormous contribution to Ireland’s fight for land reform and social justice.
The Cherry Blossom Tales explores how history lingers in places and the imagination.
Students will step back in time to Dillon’s Garden, 1881-1882: a place of quiet power and whispered resistance. Here, they will uncover the story of Anne Deane, a woman who defied the cultural norms of her time by being centrally involved in the Ladies’ Land League — a movement that challenged landlordism and gave voice to those who refused to be silenced.
From February to April, The ‘Garden Gathering’ workshops invite students to step into Anne’s world — not physically, but through imagination, historical inquiry, and artistic response.
The garden at Dillon’s House was no ordinary place. It was a setting where John Dillon, Michael Davitt, Charles Stewart Parnell, and the Parnell sisters, Anna and Fanny, gathered to debate land reform and justice.
Long ago, echoes of these spirited conversations were woven into the branches, leaves, and flowers of a cherry blossom tree — but over time these stories faded into silence — until one day, a stranger passed beneath its canopy and, by chance, heard the whispers of the past stirring once more.
Drawn in by the murmurs of history, the stranger listened, and in that moment, the long-forgotten voices found a way to be heard again. The past, once buried beneath time and neglect, flickered back to life — waiting for those willing to remember.
Today, Dillion’s last-standing cherry tree remains a silent witness to the garden’s past gatherings.
A new generation now steps beneath its canopy to uncover the ‘The Cherry Blossom Tales’:
Students will reimagine the voices of 1881-1882, weaving their own voices into the story as they reflect on the defining moments that shaped the lives of those who fought for Ireland’s future. They will respond to these rich imaginings through storytelling, mixed-media expression, and artistic exploration.
They will learn to use photography and videography to bring stories to life; experiment with audio storytelling and soundscapes and develop their creative writing and storytelling skills.
Seasonal Transitions: April to may.
As the cherry blossoms bloom in April, their drifting petals inspire new narratives. As the blossoms fall and scatter throughout Ballaghaderreen, the spring workshops focus on movement, change, and the way memories and history drift through time.
Poetry, photography, and visual art are woven into the workshops to spark the imagination, helping students explore how history lingers - carried forward through nature, place, and the people who pass through.
The petals, once part of the cherry tree that bore witness to the garden gatherings, are now carried on a Westerly wind - and with them the essence of those long-ago moments: the laughter and secrets shared.
Something magical lingers within the petals: a quiet energy waiting to be found.
As they are picked up - perhaps caught in a passerby’s fingers, or noticed as they settle on a doorstep - an almost imperceptible connection to the past is forged. Though the words once spoken beneath the tree may be lost, something stirs in the fleeting moment of a gaze - a shift in perspective, an unexpected inspiration.
Students explore this mysterious transmission of memory and inspiration, reflecting on how history is not just recorded, but also felt - how it moves through landscapes, through nature, and through us.
‘The Cherry Blossom Tales’ culminates in a celebratory event and exhibition, where student creations will be shared with the wider community, offering a powerful reflection on history, creativity, and the unseen threads that connect the past with the delicate present moment. This will be a unique opportunity to experience the students’ interpretations of Ballaghaderreen’s past through a contemporary, creative lens.
This project was inspired by a 2024 conversation with Margaret Garvey, who saved the last cherry blossom tree in Dillon’s garden from being cut down, and by Anna’s research into the legacies of Monica Duff and Anne Deane.
Media Coverage:
Roscommon Herald:
Outcomes:
A series of workshops with St. Nathy’s students, using historical narrative, folklore, and community recollections as catalysts for creative exploration.
Students will have time between each workshop to produce something creative in response to the themes, which will form a portfolio of student-led creative expressions (written or recorded narratives, photography / video or visual art + any other medium chosen).
Upon completion of the workshops there will be an event (date to be finalised) featuring an exhibition, recorded storytelling presentations, and live student readings, bringing the gathered material to life.
Anna will work with interested students to secure media coverage of the work - including potential radio interviews.
Throughout the project, Anna will document the journey, sharing insights through a series of blog posts on her website. She will also create a collection of photographs and videos that visually capture the themes and creative processes explored. All of this content will be shared on social media - and included in a final report at the end of the project.
Photo Credits:
Cherry Blossoms, by Anna King
Portrait: www.shutterstock.com/g/AlexMalikov
Anna layered and altered these photos in Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.
Funded by Roscommon County Council Creative Ireland Programme 2025.
